Apartment 16B
by mintyfreshness1325
Summary: Mikuo is a new tenant at the Hitherwood Apartments, after moving out due to an overbearing mother and her tormenting boyfriend. While moving in Mikuo meets Akaito, another tenant in the apartments who lives just down the hall from him. Yet neither one of the knows how big an impact the other will have on his life.
1. Chapter 1

Mikuo parked his car and looked up at the building in front of him. _**Hitherwood**_ read the huge letters that clung to its typical off beige stone walls, the name of the new apartment complex he was currently moving into. He turned off the engine and grabbed a box from the front seat._ For a cheap apartment complex, it doesn't look so bad_, he thought, clenching his keys in his mouth while he lifted the box out of the car with him, pushing the door closed with the side of his hip. He had honestly expected worse, maybe something a little better than those gritty motels he had first looked at, but this beat his expectations gladly. _Still, it's no **Garden Gates**, _Mikuo mused, remembering his visit to the high-classed "community living area", as stated on the brochure, that flew way out of his budget. He tore his gaze away and clicked on the alarm. His footsteps crunched over the gravel as he made his way to the front office.

"Hello?" he called into the small empty window that designated as the help desk in what he assumed to be the apartment lobby. "Hello?" he called once again, becoming impatient, craning his head as he tried to see if there was anyone on the other side of the glass. The box he was carrying was becoming heavier by the second and he didn't know how much longer he could carry it. Mikuo was never a muscular guy, but pride he expresses often; being so tired after just the first box irritated him. Just as he was about to turn away, a woman with blonde hair and dark roots appeared in the small square, sneering out a "What do you need?"

"I'm a new tenant, I'm here to pick up my key," he explained. She asked him for his name, and after he had given it, handed over a silver key. "Bs are the second floor," she stated before promptly disappearing.

"So much for the welcome parade," Mikuo muttered as he shifted the grip of the box and turned toward the stairs. He found his apartment with ease, opening the door and dropping off the box. Instead of taking in the apartment he quickly hurried back to his car to get more boxes, not letting himself take any breaks. After a few minutes he was lugging up a big box up the stairs with difficulty. He strained to see past the box, but was failing. Such things proved to be difficult to him due to his shorter than average stature.

As he walked in the general direction of his apartment, or at least where he thought the general direction was, he felt the front of the box slam into something solid, the force sending both the box and Mikuo to the floor with a crash. "Ow!" the tealette cried, rubbing his head and looked up see a redheaded stranger.

"Oh my goodness," the redhead cried, rushing to Mikuo's aid. He dropped to the floor to the fallen boy's side without hesitation, his face pushing close. Mikuo's back stiffened as he leaned his head away from the stranger's, the redhead's sudden proximity surprising a blush out of him. Yet as he leaned back the red mop of hair leaned forward, reaching a hand out to rest on the back of Mikuo's skull, keeping him in place as he leaned over him, his body hovering slightly above Mikuo's whose flush grew deeper as the stranger peered at his face, burgundy eyes glued to his own aqua irises.

For an instant time stopped as they gazed at each other. Mikuo noticed golden flecks insides the maroon drops, long lashed and hidden by the spiked hair that hung partly in the stranger's face. His sight, as if pulled, drew down to see the rest of this stranger's fair face, made up of a slender nose and soft pink lips. He stared at them intently, wanting to reach out and stroke them. _They look so soft_, he thought to himself

"Are you OK?" the lips moved suddenly, their words breaking the spell. Mikuo shook his head, as if coming out of a daydream and returned his focus to the man who laid in front of him. The stranger's eyes were still fixed on him, amusement gleaming with the gold. His hand, which felt slightly large, now rested on the back of Mikuo's head, slender fingers gently probing his skull for any sign of impact from the fall. When none was found the redhead sat back on his heels with a smile, finally giving Mikuo his space back. Mikuo inhaled deeply, thankful for the renewed open air, yet missing the body heat the stranger had given.

At the slight raise of the stranger's eyebrow, Mikuo realized that he was still waiting for an answer to his question. "Uh..I..uh..yeah I'm fine," he sputtered out. His throat felt dry all of a sudden and he cleared his throat before managing to speak again. "Are-are you alright?"

The redhead laughed a musical laugh that brought out a smile in Mikuo. "Yup, I'm built pretty solid," was the reply with a thump across said solid chest for emphasis. They both bent back over and began to retrieve the items that had scattered across the floor, returning them rightfully to the box. When they straighten everything, the stranger lifted the box and stood, holding out a hand to help Mikuo up. He handed the box to Mikuo with ease, whose arms sank with the weight of it, before flashing a parting smile and continuing down the hall. Mikuo glanced over his shoulder and watched him leave before returning to his new apartment to finish unpacking. Closing the door behind him, he sighed and leaned back into the wood trying to figure out why his heart was beating so fast.


	2. Chapter 2

_Well, he was cute_, Akaito thought to himself, shielding his half smile with his hand as he bounced down the steps to the first floor. He hated the way the cheap carpet felt on his new shoes and had been eager to try them out on the streets, hoping the concrete would prove to be a better match. As he made his way to the lobby, he greeted the fellow tenants he passed, keeping his ever flashing grin stretched across his attractive face. He had been dubbed the 'heart throb' of this complex and more than a few women, married or single, had fallen for his charms, ensnared by the mischievous twinkle in his eyes when he winked at them behind the back of their lovers, if they happened to have any, left weak-kneed by his flirty smirk. He passed a few of these and couldn't help but tease them for a split second before continuing on. _If only they knew_, he couldn't help but think. Once he left the complex, he slid his new headphones onto his ears and turned up his music, tuning out the rest of the world. He stood off to the side and spread his legs, stretching himself for a few minutes, getting his muscles ready to be used.

Finally prepared, he began his daily jog down the street, following the route that he usually took, the one that led him through town to his favorite coffee shop. He began to think as he ran, like usual, putting more and more distance between him and the subject which was currently on his mind with every pounding step. That adorable little tealette he had the pleasure of literally bumping into. Akaito had heard rumor that a new tenant would be renting the apartment down the hall from his. He had even seen the maintenance team come up with all their various equipment and clean everything in preparation of the new arrival, taking almost the whole day until they were finally finished, and yet for some reason he didn't think it was truly going to happen until he saw the blue headed boy unpack into 16B. _'It's been awhile since anyone new has moved onto that floor,_ he mused as he paused at a crosswalk, stretching lightly to keep his legs warm as he waited for the light to change._ I think the last new person was me._ The white little man finally made his appearance on the sign and Akaito continued down the street, keeping an eye out for radical speeding cars until he had safely passed through the crosswalk. He began to remember when he first moved out...the reason why he did...

Akaito pushed the memory out of his mind, far back to the base of his skull. He didn't feel like reminiscing now. His runs were his time to clear his head, not fill it back up with unpleasant thoughts. On his face, instead of his usual smile, hung a grimace. "Let's not think about that now, shall we?" he muttered to himself. He squared his shoulders into a firm line, then continued down the street.

_**xXx**_

Mikuo sighed from his place on the floor, the soft beige carpeting providing a cushion that soothed his weary muscles. The soft fabric tentacles bent under his weight, smelling faintly of carpet cleaner…something with a flowery scent. Despite its insistence to irritate his nose, producing a sneeze every now and then, it did wonders in helping to calm Mikuo's beating heart, which pumped at a slightly strained pace due to the effort of lugging box after box upstairs after stair into his new place, with little to no breaks, all by himself. "When did I get so much crap?" he groaned. It had taken him almost the whole afternoon to finish unloading all his stuff into the apartment. He hadn't even began to unpack yet and he was already ready to call it quits. "I'll just save if for tomorrow," he called into the apartment's emptiness, sighing once again. He then sat up and gazed around, taking in the place that will be his new home. The apartment, if he went by his mother's words, would be quaint. According to her boyfriend Jeff, it would be called pathetic. Yet Mikuo didn't mind how small it was. It was perfect for just him, nice and cozy. It's not like he took up that much space himself. Both the kitchenette and the dining area were a decent size, capable of holding three, maybe four, people at once. Not that Mikuo had many friends to invite over to begin with. The fridge had been included, one of its side pushed up against the wall, with chestnut brown cabinets hanging on the opposing side above cream colored marble counters and a white tile floor, exclusively for the kitchen and hopefully the bathroom which he hadn't mustered up the energy to check out just yet. The small living room, where Mikuo sat, was sparse and felt a little empty since none of the furniture had been set up yet. To be honest, Mikuo was a little glad that it had been small. He was sure everything he had would fit seeing as it wasn't a lot; if room, or even the apartment for that matter, had been any bigger there would have been too much unused floor space. Even now his mind raced as he started thinking what he was going to fill the cabinets with. "I guess I'm going to have to go house ware shopping sometime later," he mumbled with a yawn. He stretched himself along the floor, relaxing after holding the tension for a couple of seconds. "Get up already," he ordered himself, but with no avail; his body was simply refusing to get up. He entertained the idea of just falling asleep there on the floor, it was either that or take even more time settling out his bed, building the frame, putting on the cushions, then blankets, then pillows….it was exhausting just thinking about it. _That's way too much work just to go to sleep,_ he decided. Mikuo threw himself to a standing position, locked up his new apartment and, after a bit of searching, found some pillows and blanket. He curled up in a spot and fell fast asleep, his exhaustion finally taking a complete hold on him.


End file.
